Today’s the last day of the tour and there’s a long drive back to the south of Bali.
I wake up at 6am and write my blog on the terrace followed by a swim in the pool. Diana and I have breakfast; the kids opt to skip it.
I have the last remaining local item on the breakfast menu, nasi jinggo, which is rice with a few accompaniments. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s really tasty; I particularly like the spiced coconut sprinkles.
After breakfast we quickly pack and head to reception to meet Wayan. We have a 3.5-hour journey ahead of us, depending on traffic.
We check out of the hotel and get going. There are quite a few trucks on the single-carriageway road, and the driver is skilfully overtaking constantly. I’m not sure if the trucks are speed limited, but they do go very slowly compared to the rest of the traffic.
After about 1.5 hours we stop for a comfort break and buy some snacks at the minimart before heading on.
We’re now starting to get back to the more populated area of the island and the single carriageway soon becomes a dual carriageway, traffic lights start to appear, and the cars get newer and fancier. Still plenty of slow trucks that the driver weaves between - they seem to just use any lane.
We arrive at the turtle sanctuary around 11am and we’re greeted by one of the handlers, who explains what they do here. Until relatively recently, turtles weren’t protected and were actually eaten during ceremonies. Now that they’re protected, the sanctuary rescues injured turtles, helps them recover and then puts them back into the wild. They also hatch baby turtles in their hatchery and release those too.
The guide takes us around the sanctuary and tells us about each turtle and its condition. The most common problems are getting caught in nets or being struck by propellers. Some of the shells have really beautiful patterns and the baby turtles are very cute.
After we’ve seen all the turtles, we jump in the bus and head towards the hotel, stopping for lunch on the way. I stick with Indonesian and have nasi campur, a mix of chicken and beef with rice, washed down with a cold beer.
After lunch we head for the hotel, now firmly in the city with lots of shops and restaurants everywhere.
We arrive at the hotel at 2pm but can’t check in until 3pm, so the girls go to the spa for a pedicure while I go to the pool and Alex guards the bags in reception. It’s really hot by the pool, which is an unusual shape. It’s really long and shallow, a bit like a pond!
Once we’re checked in, we take a walk down to the beach and along the seafront to find an ATM. With that chore done, Diana and I stop for a drink while the kids head back to the hotel.
While we’re waiting for our drinks I spot something in the sky that I can’t explain. It looks like a banner that you might fly behind an aeroplane, but it’s stationary, about 200m up in the air. I ask the waitress, who tells me it’s a kite. I’ve never seen a kite hold its position for so long without moving. Wayan explains later that it’s traditional to fly kites after harvesting rice to bring the wind and rain. Farmers used to do this in their fields, but these days they do it on the beach, and this beach is the best for kite flying.
We relax back at the hotel for an hour before heading out for our final dinner of the tour.
We walk down to the beach again, where Wayan has reserved us a table right by the water. Over dinner he tells us more about Bali and his work and life, which is really interesting.
I have the red snapper with Balinese sauce, and it’s great – I’ve finally found something with lots of chilli in it! I had expected the food to be highly spiced like Thai, but it has been really quite mild in comparison.
We thank Wayan for everything he’s done. We’ve had such a lovely time, and he’s been a great guide, always smiling and making sure we’re enjoying ourselves.
We wander back to the hotel, and Diana and I have a cocktail while listening to the live reggae band before bed.